1. Register

How do I Register?

All bidders need to register by completing the online form and providing all required information, such as their full name, contact information, and credit card details. We will communicate the status of your registration via the email and contact information you provide.

2. Bid

How Do I Place a Bid?

Select your bid amount as long as it is greater than the last bid shown on the bidding screen, then click the “Bid” button. This will automatically place your bid.

3. Watch

How can I watch the auction?

Bidders will receive an email to confirm when their bid has been received, and an email to notify them when they are outbid. After the auction, winning bidders will also receive an email to notify them of their winning bid.

4. Payment

How is payment handled?

The winning bidder will receive an email after the auction with instructions for how to checkout and pay for purchased item.

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Thank you!

About the Project

A month after launching, the advertising space on The Erased Rauschenberg had been completely sold!

All of the proceeds from the sale of the Erased Rauschenberg will go to the New Museum’s incubator for art, design and technology, NEW INC. The funds will create a scholarship for members who require financial assistance.

The Story

In 1953, Robert Rauschenberg erased an art piece created by the abstract expressionist Willem De Kooning. Rauschenberg called the piece “The Erased De Kooning Drawing.” This act of erasure was a poetic way of having pop art succeed abstract expressionism.

Reasoning Behind Destroying a Rauschenberg

Following in the footsteps of Rauschenberg and in response to the economic trends of the art market, Nikolas Bentel raised $10,000 to purchase an art piece created by Robert Rauschenberg. Bentel covered the cost of the purchase by selling space on the Rauschenberg piece as advertising space. Each square inch of the art piece was sold for $92.59. This made the act of purchasing the art piece, an act of destruction, allowing the economics of the art world to destroy an expensive piece of art.

Nikolas Bentel

I am currently an artist at the New Museum's art and design Incubator, New Inc.